[jeff.cotter]

...and continuing my tale of woe with my new Celestron AVX 9.25 (see my other thread on the topic).

Like probably every person first unpackaging their new SCT, I couldn't resist taking the front cover off and admiring the pristine (but not for too much longer) optics. Trouble was, I didn't put the cover back on correctly. So, later as I lifted up the OTA to fix it to the mount, I heard a soft dull thud, which I ignored (probably the cat!). As I soon discovered, this is the typical sound made by an SCT corrector plate cover falling onto the carpet (all this was indoors). After a bit of manhandling I got the OTA mounted successfully, only to then discover that some unknown person had left fingermarks on what, only minutes before, was a beautifully transparent corrector plate.

So my question to everyone is, how should I go about cleaning the corrector plate? I'm a bit worried that if I attack it with industrial-strength floor cleaner, I might damage the coatings. There are only three or four finger marks, so might I be better off just leaving them there?

Thanks everyone.